The Penn's Grove record., 1887-06-11

time, and really was so excited that /
posted q letter to her at once.
"You distress me, Dolly. You know
Mr.. Dacre would never forgive you If
he saw your letters. l hide them even
from mother. Oil pray do think be-
fore you madly risk the loss Of his love,
for that will follow the very hour he
loses his high opinion of you'll"
This is how Dolly answered my tender
appeal:
"What a leeturing little thing you
are getting, Kittyl 1 am very much
attached to Sir Charles, and IL Jack is
ever so angry, | can't help IT."
Thus flippantly the letter a on.
1 was very angry and distressed, but
resolved to try no more lectures; they
clearly made matters worse. So, the
next time. l gave a full description OF a
day we hadRspent in court hearing Mr..
Dacre plead. 1 described his digni6ed
appearance, his easy, graceful gestures
above all, 1 dwelt on the beauty of
his nose.
Dolly answered:
81 am quite shocked at you, Kitty,
to make such an idol Of a nosei"
And then she continued, as usual
about Sir Charles.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Dacre seemed quite
happy. and said he had daily letters
from Dolly as regularly as when she
vas with Mrs. Lloyd. Was my beloved
sister growing deceitfulP
1 kept all this from my mother, but
l grew more and more wretched over
Dolly's letters. A picnic would be
GLORIOUS, for Sir Charles was going.
She had spent the whole morning
''quietly with Sir Charles" Once he
vas i~ndisposed, and she had "nursed
him. played for him, sung to him."
"Well l could do nothing more. l
resolved to say not another word about
him to anyone else. l began to dislike
the sound of his name, or, rather, the
sight of it; and, when Dolly declared l
should like him as much as everyone
else did, l made up my mind that l
hated him. L wrote N more tender
appeal, which | said was my last.
Every Tuesday mother and l had
Dolly's letters, but Il day there was
none by my breakfast plate as usual.
Mother read hers.
"Dolly says she has written to you,"
she observed presently. "How a it
be that you have not received it2"
Mistakes of the p~ostsofice are so rare
we could but suppose she had omitted
to post it. By the next delivery, how
ever, 1 received a letter from Mr..
Dacre containing an Enclosure which
turned out to be a letter to me from
A few lines from him raj thus:
"DEAR KITTY.-I had read too
much of the enclosed before l dlscov-
cred the mistake. If you received q
letter from Dolly before this reaches
you, you will have discovered she has
mlssent the letters. 1 shall run down
to Highwood without loss of time"
1 had not received any letters then,
but by the second country delivery
came one directed to Jack at once.
The letter he had read began thus:
"All you say is useless, my darling.
l love Sir Charles devotedly, and he
has this day declared he loves me. You
ask me, does he know l am engaged?
I told him a gentleman was coming to
see me; but he seemed little concerned
az Iuio pACCO VI lllOluloItUu
So far Mr.. Dacre had read, and the
mine was sprung.
locked my room door and fell back.
despairingly, into an easy chair. 1 was
resolved to hide all from my mother
till Mr.. Dacre had seen Dolly. l hunted
up Bradshaw, and found that a train
started about 4 O'Clock that would con-
vey me to Highwood by 1850. If Dolly
wrote to me at once l should get her
letter by Thursday; but of course l
should hear from Jack on Wednesday.
l dreaded, every ring, every postman's
knock. All day Wednesday passed and
lover.
On Thursday morning I ran down
when l heard the usual welcome sound.
On the table lay a thick letter addressed
in Dolly's handwriting. l ran up to
mamma and gave her the 1 found
inclosed in 1t for her; then L sat down
to read mine, after fortifying myself
with a cup of coffee. I must give every
word Of it:
you are well aware that q catas-
has happened through my heed
lessness. The best thing will be for
me to describe fully the whole conse-
quences Of that misfortune. On our
from the garden party on Tues
day l found a telegram awaiting Inc
from Jack: Shall be with you by 1861
OF course this awoke no fears In my
mind, for / knew Jack might run down
at any moment the trains permit. Lady
sent me off at once to be
dressed by her artist.maid. What she
made of me you must have ssen to be-
lieve, Kitty. l would not look at my
self till the whole process vas complete;
and when | glanced in the long glass l
was really amazed at what l saw. 1t
was the result, 1 now know, OF many
discussions between Lady Mlllicent and
this gifted young person. You may
imagine how L exulted in the thought
that Jack would sea me look as he had
never seen me look before, for l am so
improved in health that my whole ap-
pearance is changed. Well, the bell
rang. Lady Mlllicent received Mr..
Dacre in the morning-room, and came
to send me down at once.
az ran down with my heart bound
ing. l entered the room. L noticed
Jack give one start, but receive me in
such an un-Jack-like manner that l
was terrified. 'Mama-Kitty?i l cried.
''Quite well when L left them,' said
MIR. Dacre; but when he placed me in a
chair and one opposite me, l felt mat
ters were desperate. what Is wrong?'
gaspedi dearest Jack. only speakl'
Only an address, said he, and he put
The unfortunate envelope in my hands.
This contained a letter, which 1, per-
haps fortunately, read before 1 per-
the mistake. ! have just II
minutes before 1 leave for the return
train, so IL you wish to say anything,
let me beg OF you to speak out at once.'
81 sank back in my chair and Gov
cred my face with my hands. win
you hear my explanatory 1 STAN
Needless; the letter can have
but one meaning. l came to release
HIT -